Method and apparatus for applying agricultural seed or fertilizer mix over the surface of the ground

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for applying agriculture seed/fertilizer mix and the like to the ground. A receptacle having an agitator and rotating blades are affixed to a housing containing a blowing motor. Agriculture seed/fertilizer mix is poured into the receptacle and blown out through a hose attached to an outlet port on the housing. A nozzle is attached to the end of the hose for effective and uniform application of the materials. A pressurized liquid supply is attached to the nozzle in order to moisten the material as it passes through the nozzle and out over the ground.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.08/547,955 filed on Oct. 25, 1995 now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention relates generally to lawn care andlandscaping, and more specifically to a method of preparing andspreading agriculture seed/fertilizer mix and the like over the surfaceof the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ground preparation, lawn care and landscaping are fairly commonactivities, being essential to the upkeep and maintenance of home lawns,parks, stadiums, highways, berms and farms. Although there are someprior art devices designed to assist in lawn care, such as mowers, thereare relatively few devices designed to augment the application offertilizer mixes, agriculture seed and related compositions. Moreover,the devices available are cumbersome and time consuming to use. Asevidenced by the lawn care aids presently available, it can be seen thatin general, lawn care is still a labor intensive activity.

There are few machines designed to aid in the laying a cover ofagriculture seed or fertilizer mix over the surface of a lawn, such asthe broadcast type spreader. One such fertilizer or seed spreader iscomprised generally of a bucket or basin to place the fertilizer in, thebasin being mounted on a pair of wheels and having a number of smallopenings at the bottom. A number of blades rotate about an axis runningacross the lower end of the basin, forcing the fertilizer or seed out ofthe openings in the bottom of the basin. A handle extends upwardly fromthe basin so that the operator can grasp the handle and push the deviceto make it operate. The operator of the device then walks back and forthover the entire surface to be covered in order to apply the fertilizer.On a larger scale, the device may be operated by mounting it to the backof a vehicle, and pulling it over the surface of the ground.

Other fertilizer compositions are not suited for use with the pushcartdevice previously described, in particular ground cellulose materials,and thus need to be applied manually. In the manual application of thefertilizer, one must take handfuls of seed, fertilizer or mix andsprinkle it over patches of the yard or over perhaps the entire lawn.

The devices and methods available in the prior art are cumbersome andtime consuming to use. The limitations of the devices are even moreapparent in industrial applications such as stadium fields, parks andhighways where there is a greater surface area to be covered.

The applicant is aware of certain devices designed primarily forspreading insulation into the walls or attic of a structure. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,307 of Deitesfeld discloses an apparatusfor blowing insulation comprised of an upright hopper over an agitatorhaving rotating blades for directing the insulation through theapparatus and outward through a blower hose attached to the device. Suchan apparatus has been successful in effectively spreading insulationbecause of its portability and blowing power. Thus far, however, thistechnology has not been utilized for any other purposes other than itsintended purpose for spreading insulation.

As seen by the prior art, devices have been developed that aid in thespreading of seed or fertilizer over the surface of a lawn. However, itcan be seen that none of these devices completely solve the problem ofproviding an easy, fast and efficient way for the operator to spreadfertilizer or seed evenly over the ground. The operator typically has towalk back and forth over the area being attended to, spreading thefertilizer or seed over the surface of the ground. The materials areoften applied in a non-uniform manner, wherein application of thematerials in some areas may be thicker than others. Further, theoperator needs then to undertake a second time consuming step ofwatering the ground once the material has been applied. The wateringstep is intended not only to effect growth, but to help secure thematerials to the ground. On a windy day, it is readily apparent that adelay between applying seed or fertilizer and moistening the fertilizedground could result in the agriculture seed/fertilizer mix being blownaway from the place where it has been applied.

A desired apparatus and method for spreading fertilizer should include aportable, powerful device which is efficient and easy to use.Preferably, the device and method should include the ability to combinethe fertilizer, seed and moisture as the material is being applied tothe ground. The device should be adapted for precise application of theagriculture seed/fertilizer mix, while being relatively easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for applyingagriculture seed/fertilizer mixtures or a combination thereof on thesurface of the ground. The apparatus consists generally of a receptacleto receive agriculture product, seed or fertilizer mix material, anagitator, a blower motor, and a blowing hose or passageway having oneend attached to an outlet on the housing of the machine. Optionally, theopposite end of the blowing hose or passageway may be attached to anozzle which is lightweight and durable, which provides highly accuratepatterning of the agriculture seed/fertilizer mix. A liquid supply lineis attached to the nozzle to allow the agriculture seed/fertilizer mixto be wetted before and as it is applied to the ground.

In operation, the agriculture seed/fertilizer mix is placed into thereceptacle, and the apparatus connected to a power supply. One end ofthe blower hose is attached to the outlet port of the machine while theother end of the hose is attached to the nozzle. Next, the agitator andthe blower are turned on. With the aid of the agitator, the agricultureseed/fertilizer mix flows from the receptacle, into an airlock chamberand is propelled out through the blower hose. An adjusting slidegateallows the operator to regulate the material flow through the apparatus.

A nozzle at the end of the blowing hose may be used to direct theapplication of materials to the ground. A pressurized liquid source maybe attached to the nozzle to provide a dispersed stream of water whichmoistens the material as it flows from the blower hose and out throughthe nozzle. Utilizing this method, the material is uniformly spread at athickness of between (but not limited to) 1/2 and 1/4 inches, and ismoist as applied to the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the device used in accordance withthe method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of thedevice used in accordance with the method of the present invention.

FIG. 3A shows a side, perspective view of one embodiment of the nozzlewhich may be used in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3B shows a top view of the one embodiment of the nozzle which maybe used in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates use of the device of FIG. 1 in accordance with thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that in one embodiment, thedevice 10 used in accordance with this invention consists of areceptacle 12 having an a agitator and airlock chamber, and a blowermotor contained within housing 16. A blower hose 20 is attached tooutlet port 18, and a precision nozzle 26 may be attached to the otherend of blower hose 20. The device 10 may be connected to an externalpower supply 22 by cord 24, or optionally to a generator (not shown). Onthe housing control panel are located the power switch 50, blower switch52 and agitator switch 54. An external liquid supply 28 may be connectedto nozzle 26 to allow for moistening of the agriculture seed/fertilizermix as it is being applied to the ground.

In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle 12 is designed to hold up to25 lbs of agriculture seed/fertilizer mix or mulch materials, but notlimited to holding the 25 lbs. of material. Industrial applications mayinclude a receptacle which holds several times that amount.

An example of a fertilizer mix used in accordance with the presentinvention is one which includes ground cellulose, time releaseagriculture seed/fertilizer mix and colorant. Such a mix is commerciallyavailable from O.M. Scotts & Sons, Inc. under the trademarked brandname, PATCHMASTER lawn repair mix. It is understood that various otherseeds and fertilizers having varying compositions may be used inaccordance with the present invention and the foregoing example isintended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The method of theinvention is suited for application of any ground cellulosecompositions, which may or may not contain fertilizer. In someapplications, such as ground fill, the use of fertilizer mix oragriculture seed is not always desirable.

With reference still to FIG. 1, the agriculture seed/fertilizer mix ispoured loosely into the receptacle 12 in the direction of arrow 14. Atthe bottom of the receptacle 12 is an agitator with blades (not shown).The agitator comprises a series of blades extending radially from a hubon the upper end of an upright shaft which is coupled to an airlockrotor shaft by a chain and sprocket connection. The blades of theagitator rotate opposite to the direction of rotation of the airlockblades beneath the airlock inlet, so that the fertilizer materialspushed through the opening by the agitator blades will be pushed intosuccessive spaces between adjacent pairs of airlock sections as theystart downwardly turning. In addition, a slide gate may extend through aslot in the lower end of a side wall of the receptacle to regulate theamount of agriculture seed/fertilizer mix material moving from thereceptacle through the opening and into the airlock.

The outlet 18 of the airlock opposite of the inlet extends from theouter end plate of the airlock through an annular wall of the housing16, while the airlock inlet and the blower connection are laterallyoffset from the vertical center of the airlock shaft. As seen in FIG. 1,housing 16 is essentially a downward extension of the receptacle 12 andreadily contains the necessary operating parts herein described.

As seen with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, in various embodiments, thehousing 16 and receptacle 12 are mounted in combination on an axle onthe lower periphery of the housing 16, the axle having a six inch wheel60 on either end (seen with reference to both FIGS. 2 and 4). Thisallows the entire device to be readily tilted and then rolled to aposition on the ground desirable to operate from, or pulled in operationfrom the back of a truck. As is readily understood, the ability to tiltand push, or pull the apparatus 10 greatly adds to its portability andease of use.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the agitator and airlock systemutilizes a three-quarter 8.4 amp drive motor coupled to the powertransmission. The airlock itself has a 61/2×71/4 opening and steel6-vane cast urethane seals. It has been found that to provide maximumsingle blower pressure and output, the device preferably is equippedwith a 966 watt, two-stage blower motor. The blower motor is connectedto the air intake port of the airlock by a metal sleeve. Preferably, thedevice is powered to a 20 amp power supply source, although a 4000 wattgenerator with a 50% power boost will be adequate for start up.

Still with reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that connected to outlet18 is a blower hose 20. In a preferred embodiment, blower hose 20 isformed of a clear plastic material. The blower hose 20 is clear in orderto readily detect the nature or position of any possible clog orobstruction of the hose. The blower hose 20 has a diameter whichprovides adequate throughput to efficiently cover the ground. Anydesired length of blowing hose 20 is adequate for use with the presentinvention although it has been found that a hose measuring 100 feetgives a great degree of mobility about the device 10.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the device of the presentinvention. It is understood that the device consists of the same generalcomponents within housing 16, although the device may take differentforms which are suited for industrial applications. For example,receptacle 12 may vary in shape and size. Blower hose 20 may take theshape of passageway 62. The size and power of the blower motor andagitators can be adapted for use in machines suited for both at home useand for industrial use. The device may be operated by hand, asunderstood with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, or may be connected to orintegrally a part of a vehicle or farm machinery as shown in FIG. 2.These non-limiting examples and adaptations thereto are considered to bewithin the scope of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show one embodiment of a nozzle used in accordance withthe present invention. As seen in these figures, extending from theliquid supply source on either side of the nozzle 26 are a pair of sprayjets 36, which spray the liquid planar to and in the same direction asthe open end of the nozzle 26. Spray jets 36 are connected to the liquidsupply by hose 32. As seen with reference to FIG. 3B, the materials passfrom the nozzle in the direction of arrow 30, while the path of liquidflow is indicated by arrow 38. Optionally, the liquid flow may bedirected into the nozzle 26 and the materials wetted by a dispersedstream of water as they pass through the inside of the nozzle 26.

In other embodiments of the present invention, nozzle 26 may be replacedby any apparatus suited for connection with a pressurized liquid supply,and capable of dispelling a disperse stream of water into the materialsas they are applied to the ground. It is further understood that in someapplications, when it is desirable to apply materials dry rather thanwetted, the nozzle 26 may not be used at all.

In use, the device and method of the present invention works primarilyas follows. The operator loosely pours the agriculture seed/fertilizermix or the like into the receptacle 12. The blower hose is connected atone end to an outlet port 18 of the housing 16 and at the other end tonozzle 26. A pressurized liquid supply 28 is also attached to the nozzle26. The device is connected to power supply 22, and turned on. As theagitator begins to spin at the bottom of the receptacle 12, the materialis dropped into an airlock chamber and propelled outwardly throughoutlet port 18 into blower hose 20. Next, the material passes from theblower hose 20 through nozzle 26. As the material passes through nozzle26, if pressurized liquid supply 28 is turned on, the material ismoistened by a dispersed stream of water as it passes out from thenozzle 26. The moist material is then blown outward over the ground.

The potential uses for the method of the present invention are many. Forexample, the materials used in accordance with the present inventioninclude, but are not limited to, fertilizers, fertilizer mixes, mulch,lawn seeds, flower seeds, or agriculture seeds. The apparatus and methodcan be used in park and highway maintenance, stadium fields, gardens,sod farms, home lawns, erosion control, parade floats and/or any otherdecorative uses.

A mix well suited to the method of this invention includes a fracturablematerial and a carrier. A suitable fracturable material may be selectedfrom the group consisting of fertilizer, fertilizer mix, mulch, lawnseed, flower seed or agriculture seed. A suitable carrier such as, forexample, cellulose is of greater density than the fracturable material.A suitable mixture of fracturable material and carrier is one which hasmore carrier (by weight) than fracturable material.

An apparatus well adapted for use in the method of this invention is theblower described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,307 of Deitesfeld, commonlyowned by the applicant of the instant application. U.S. Pat. No.4,560,307 is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Such a blowerincludes:

(a) a generally cylindrical, upright hopper;

(b) a partition providing a generally circular bottom for said hopper,said partition having an opening through which insulation may move fromsaid hopper;

(c) an agitator movable about an upright axis in said hopper, includingan upright shaft extending upwardly through said partition;

(d) an enclosure formed by a wall beneath said partition and formedessentially as an extension of said hopper, said agitator shaftextending into said enclosure;

(e) an airlock beneath said partition and within said enclosure, saidairlock having a housing provided with an upper inlet located to receivea material and carrier substance mixture moving through said partitionopening and having a central, generally horizontal shaft carrying aseries of radial vanes within said housing, an air inlet and an outletextending through said enclosure wall at a position laterally offsetfrom a vertical plane through the center of said airlock shaft fordischarge of insulation propelled by such air, said inlet andcorresponding outlet being at opposed ends of the lower portion of saidairlock housing and the axis of said horizontal airlock shaft extendingto generally intersect the axis of said agitator shaft;

(f) a drive for rotating the agitator shaft and the airlock shaft; and

(g) a blower having an air discharge connection communicating with saidair inlet of the airlock, said air inlet and said blower connectionbeing laterally offset from said vertical plane through the center ofsaid airlock shaft to clear said agitator shaft.

These and other details of such a blower are fully described in thereferenced patent. It should now be readily understood that such ablower is well suited to the method of the instant invention because, incontrast to the prior art of which the applicant is aware, the method ofthe present invention is designed to avoid having a fracturable materialcome into contact with the rotating fans of the blowing motor or similarmoving plane or moving device. The seed material for which the instantmethod is intended is fracturable, and will fracture if pulled into thefan. Thus, the blower suitable to the method of the instant inventionuses an airlock system to pull a portion of the material from thereceptacle into the airlock, thereby isolating that portion of thematerial inside the airlock chamber from the agitator shaft while at thesame time isolating the material in the receptacle from the blower.

Accordingly, the method of this invention permits a fracturable material(seed) to be mixed with a heavy carrier (cellulose); poured into areceptacle; drawn into an airlock; isolated within the airlock from theagitator shaft in the receptacle, while isolating the material still inthe receptacle from the fan blades in the blower motor; blown out of theairlock; and directed to the ground--all with sufficient power to propelthe carrier, and with sufficient protection to help maintain theintegrity of the seed or other fracturable material.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for applying a wetted material over a surface of the ground comprising:(a) loosely pouring a dry material into a blower, said blower comprisinga generally cylindrical, upright hopper; a partition providing a generally circular bottom for said hopper, said partition having an opening through which the material may move from said hopper; an agitator movable about an upright axis in said hopper, including an upright shaft extending upwardly through said partition; an enclosure formed by a wall beneath said partition and formed essentially as an extension of said hopper, said agitator shaft extending into said enclosure; an airlock beneath said partition and within said enclosure, said airlock having a housing provided with an upper inlet located to receive a material and carrier substance mixture moving through said partition opening and having a central, generally horizontal shaft carrying a series of radial vanes within said housing, an air inlet and an outlet extending through said enclosure wall at a position laterally offset from a vertical plane through the center of said airlock shaft for discharge of the material propelled by such air, said inlet and corresponding outlet being at opposed ends of the lower portion of said airlock housing and the axis of said horizontal airlock shaft extending to generally intersect the axis of said agitator shaft; a drive for rotating the agitator shaft and the airlock shaft; and a blower having an air discharge connection communicating with said air inlet of the airlock, said air inlet and said blower connection being laterally offset from said vertical plane through the center of said airlock shaft to clear said agitator shaft; said outlet being connected at a first end to said housing and vented to the atmosphere at a second end; (b) drawing a portion of said material into said airlock thereby isolating said portion of the material inside the airlock from the agitator shaft while isolating the material in the receptacle from the blower (c) blowing said portion of the material out of the airlock and into said outlet; (d) directing said material outwardly from said outlet in a material flow path into the atmosphere; and (e) dispersing a stream of liquid from a location behind the outlet in a liquid flow path into said materials outside of the outlet and as said materials are suspended in said atmosphere, said liquid flow path being generally parallel to the material flow path.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selectively controlling the flow of material through said housing.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said material is fertilizer mix.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein said material is agriculture seed.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein a nozzle is attached to the second end of said outlet, said nozzle for directing the flow of said material to the ground.
 6. A method for applying a wetted material over a surface of the ground comprising:(a) loosely pouring a dry material into a receptacle of a blower, said blower having an agitator shaft, an airlock, and an outlet; (b) drawing a portion of said material into said airlock thereby isolating said portion of the material inside the airlock from the agitator shaft; (c) blowing said portion of the material out of the airlock and into said outlet; (d) directing said material outwardly from said outlet in a material flow path into the atmosphere; and (e) disposing a first spray jet behind the outlet and dispersing a stream of liquid through the first spray jet in a first liquid flow path into said materials outside of the outlet and as said materials are suspended in said atmosphere, said first liquid flow path being generally parallel to the material flow path.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:disposing a second spray jet behind the outlet and dispersing a stream of liquid through the second spray jet in a second liquid flow path into said materials outside of the outlet and as said materials are suspended in said atmosphere, said second liquid flow path being generally parallel to the material flow path; the first and second liquid flow paths being disposed on opposite sides of the material flow path.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said material is a mixture of a fracturable material and a carrier; the fracturable material selected from the group consisting of fertilizer, fertilizer mix, mulch, lawn seed, flower seed or agriculture seed; the carrier is of greater density than said fracturable material; and the mixture of fracturable material and carrier has more carrier (by weight) than fracturable material.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein said material is a mixture of a fracturable material and a carrier; the fracturable material selected from the group consisting of fertilizer, fertilizer mix, mulch, lawn seed, flower seed or agriculture seed; the carrier is of greater density than said fracturable material; and the mixture of fracturable material and carrier has more carrier (by weight) than fracturable material. 